Ripoll – Romanesque Art, Scriptorium and Holiday Apartments

The Portalada of the Monestir de Santa Maria de Ripoll dates from the 12th century and is considered one of the important sculptural works of European Romanesque art.

The Monestir de Santa Maria de Ripoll was founded in 879 by Count Guifré el Pelós; the Monestir is open to visitors.

Culture

Those who wish to learn about medieval written culture through practical work steps will find an interactive permanent exhibition at the Scriptorium de Ripoll about the production and copying of manuscripts from the 10th to the 12th century.

There, visitors can learn how to make parchment, prepare a goose feather for writing and bind a medieval codex; afterwards, they can try their hand at the role of a copyist.

The Scriptorium de Ripoll also offers courses in calligraphy and palaeography, as well as cultural programmes about the medieval world.

The Església de Sant Pere was consecrated as a parish church in 890.

History

The Arxiu Museu Folklòric de Ripoll was founded in 1929, established in the attic spaces of the former Església de Sant Pere, and was Catalonia's first ethnographic museum.

The permanent exhibition at the Museu Etnogràfic de Ripoll includes collections on sheep farming and agriculture.

The manufacture of portable firearms was one of the city's most prestigious and important industries in the 17th and 18th centuries due to its quantity and quality.

La Farga Palau de Ripoll was founded as an ironworks in the 17th century, operated for five centuries and closed in 1978.

On the ground floor, La Farga Palau preserves water wheels, hammers, a coal storage room, a furnace and a forge.

Visiting

La Farga Palau de Ripoll can be visited independently; admission tickets are issued at the Museu Etnogràfic de Ripoll, where visitors also receive the access code.

Routes

Ripoll has four signposted routes to four viewpoints. They open up the town's natural surroundings and offer views of the town centre from the hills surrounding it.

The Camí de Ronda route was designed based on a model held at the Museu Etnogràfic de Ripoll; this model is based on sources from the 17th century.

A route suitable for walking and cycling forms part of the Vies Verdes network and follows the route of the former Ripoll–Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Toralles) railway line.

Traditions

An event organised by the Centre d’Iniciatives i Turisme (CIT) takes place in mid-May; it aims to revive the traditional customs of sheep shearing and a traditional rural wedding.

Further destinations to discover include Palau De Santa Eulàlia, Torroella De Montgri, Campdevànol, Saus, Camallera i Llampaies:Camallera, La Bisbal D'empordà, Fornells De La Selva, Sant Feliu De Guixols and Gombrèn.

For the higher-level travel overview: Girona.